Ron Clark

In his two-hour interview, Ron Clark talks about his early life and his time in Canada as a writer for stand-up comics. He describes his big break writing for The Jimmy Dean Show, which featured Jim Henson's Muppets. He recounts writing for several other shows following that period including The Jackie Gleason Show, The Steve Allen Comedy Hour, and The Danny Kaye Show. Clark details his time writing for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and recalls many aspects of that show including his relationship with stars Tom and Dick Smothers, and the censorship battles the show endured with the network. He speaks of leaving the Smothers Brothers to write for Kraft Music Hall, followed by The Tim Conway Comedy Hour, That Girl, Hot L Baltimore, Ace Crawford, Private Eye, Silver Spoons, and Moonlighting. He talks about his friendship and collaborations with comedy icons Mel Brooks and Peter Sellers, and concludes by discussing professional achievements and giving advice for aspiring writers. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview in a joint venture with the Writers Guild Foundation on November 23, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA.